Corinthian
Overview Corinthia is the Hyborian Age equivalent to Ancient Greece and Rome, complete with internal rivalries and espionage. It is an ancient kingdom that co-existed with Acheron. It is highly developed with an established aristocracy and a powerful priesthood. Corinthians are no longer pure-blooded Hyborians. Centuries of intermingling with Zamorians, Stygians and other trade races have darkened their skin, although they still remain stout and tend toward tawny hair. Culture Corinthia is not a feudal society, so allegiances do not have the same weight as they do in Aquilonia or Nemedia. Allegiances tend to be with political groups, secret societies, friends and city-states. Corinthia is noted for shifting allegiances fairly easily and quickly. Corinthians are not as formal with their allegiances as the people of the northern Hyborian nations. Clothing Corinthians dress in loose clothing, especially tunics, peplos and chitons. The clothing of the Corinthians resembles drapery. Tunics are worn by both sexes and are worn with a belt. A Corinthian tunic is essentially a piece of drapery tied over the left shoulder. In cooler weather, a chlamys – a bordered cape pinned or tied at the right shoulder – might be added. A peplos is a tubular, body-length tunic worn primarily by Corinthian women. The peplos is folded inside out from the top down, so the top of the tube is at the waist. The fold is pinned at the shoulders and the whole thing gathered at the waist. It gives the appearance of being two pieces of clothing because of the way it drapes. A chiton is worn by both men and women and consists of two pieces of drapery that are belted either under the breast, around the waist or both. The wealthy include hoods with their ornate chitons. For outdoor travel, a wide cloak or himation is added to the outfit. A himation is a heavier cloth than a chiton and serves as a cloak; it is similar to a toga. It can also be worn alone, serving as both chiton and cloak. Corinthian soldiers dress in whatever they can afford; often they wear a chlamys and little else, for the chlamys can be used as a light shield in combat. The knights wear heavy armour and the pikemen wear less. Corinthians tend to wear sandals in warm weather and leather boots in cooler weather. Jewellery and cosmetics are worn by the women. Powdered lead is a common cosmetic, used to give the women a pale, ivory-skinned complexion. Men and Women Corinthian men support their families either by working or through commercial ventures. Women are expected to manage the household and oversee the slaves. Even poor families have slaves who do the cooking and cleaning and care for the children. Social Standing Social standing in Corinthia, like in most Hyborian nations, centres around land-ownership. However, only a native-born, land-owning Corinthian male is considered a citizen and only citizens have legal protections and rights. Essentially, there are five social classes for males. A woman belongs to the social class of her husband or father. Children belong to their father’s class until they are on their own. Trade and Economy Trade drives the economy of Corinthia. The Road of Kings is an important economic highway and is probably the single most unifying factor in Corinthia. This dependence upon trade indicates that mining is not important in Corinthia. Either the mountains of Corinthia are barren of ore or they are too dangerous to fully explore. The latter is more likely. Mining does occur in Corinthia but is rarely profitable enough to supplant international trade as the major economic force. Slaves Slavery is alive and well in Corinthia. Even poor households usually own a slave or two. In addition to privately-owned slaves, Corinthia has public slaves owned by the city-state. These slaves usually live independently and are trained for specialised jobs, such as spotting counterfeit coins, serving at temples, tax collecting and other tasks. The Zamorans sell captured women from Brythunia and other Hyborian nations and the Kothians sell Corinthians slaves from the south. Military Corinthian warriors are an uproarious lot, drinking all night and fighting all day. They fight with straight blades with blood grooves. Corinthia is like most of the Hyborian nations in that cavalry plays a major role in war. Battles are fought in a similar manner. The armies converge and exchange missile-fire, then the pikemen rush toward each other and try to break through each other’s ranks so the armoured and mounted knights can crush the enemy and cause them to flee before their might. This method of fighting leaves Corinthia in the same straits as all the Hyborian nations save Aquilonia: long on archers and knights but short on trained infantry. Infantry is thought of as mere spear-fodder and is not considered an honourable profession. The rabble recruited quickly in times of war to serve as foot soldiers are given minimal training and are easily broken and demoralised. Thus, Corinthian city-states hire mercenaries to serve as trained infantry soldiers. The Corinthian Infantry are commoners levied for three year terms of duty, so most of these soldiers have at least one level in Commoner. They use light lances as spears. They are armed with swords, heavy mail hauberks, breastplates and steel helms. They are also equipped with large shields. Those who do not return to their common lives after their tours of duty are completed join the ranks of the hoplites, the elite infantry force of the Corinthian city-states. The Corinthian Cavalry are professional soldiers fighting under green and gold flags and heraldic devices. They are hard-bitten soldiers who do not put up with cowardice or foolishness. They ride heavily armoured horses, intent on riding through any opposition. They use light lances, heavy mail hauberks and breastplates as well as straight-edged swords. Religion The Corinthians worship Mitra, the ‘universal god of the Hyborians’. The Corinthians, close to Zamora and Koth, are a bit more tolerant of other religions than Aquilonia but the Mitrans themselves remain zealous in their devotion to Mitra. He is regarded as the one true god, a god of light commanding a celestial army and a host of saints. Mitra either condemns souls to Hell or raises them in Heaven. Intolerant piety exemplifies this religion of supposed goodness. The Mitrans prize stately and almost plain architecture, preferring the awesomeness of Mitra over the sweeping, symbolic architecture of the temples to the other gods. It is a point of pride with the Mitrans that their temples as well as their god are different and, to their eyes, superior to the others. The Mitrans do not worship statues and do not sacrifice humans or animals to Mitra. Government Corinthia is ruled by a king who commands imperial legions, yet opposing political factions are rampant in the city. Corinthians are ruled by bodies of politicians and a king reigns supreme over that senatorial council. The Corinthian senate, composed of delegates from each of the city-states, does not pass law. That is the power of the king. The senate does, however, control much of foreign affairs and internal political arenas, as well as advise the king, which is its primary purpose. As in many kingdoms, murder is illegal in Corinthia unless sanctioned by the king or in defence of self and home. Slavery is perfectly legal.